Should cyclists be insured?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....ing-pay-road-tax.html

Is this Taxi boss correct when he says every cyclist should be trained and insured?

[RATTER15]

Where I live it is safe for children to ride up and down the quiet lane, we often see a family of bike riders ride past whilst we are out with the dogs.we see children just 3 or 4 years old being guided by mums and dads

So what age are they going to have to get insurance, licence etc.

I was brought up riding bikes and for years all the kids and adults in the neighbourhood came to my house to have their bikes mended by either me or my older brother, bikes are everything to some people, I think legislation would be a huge deterrent to bike bikers, I thought we were trying to encourage people onto bikes not make life difficult for them. Think green etc!!!!

[ummmm]

Exactly Ratter.

Me and my BMX went everywhere together :-)

[RATTER15]

That has just made me think just how much bikes were a part of our lives. My Brother (RIP) started repairing bikes sat on the doorstep of our council house, he had been doing this for quite a few years and as I grew up I started helping him, we had just a few crude tools but we managed and we were known for miles around and people would just turn up and leave their bike with us. We would take the parts we needed off old bikes we had laying around and would frequently take a trip to the tip to find other parts we needed (and would spend an hour or two killing rats while we were there lol) this went on until I was about 20 years old. Occasionally we would all get together and go for a bike ride for the day and would cycle miles.

We carried out this work repairing bikes for many years, we never charged a single penny, not even for the parts, it never even occurred to either of us to charge for what we loved doing.

How times change!!

[EDDIE51]

The vast majority of kids ride BMX bikes which are not suitable for the road. BMX bikes have just one brake and are only supposed to be used on a track.
There are groups of them around my area every day until late at night, they perform 'tricks' on the bikes like pulling the front wheel off the ground and spinning the handle bars round 360 degs , as these BMX bikes have no front brakes or cables they can turn the handle bars right through 360 degs. They normally choose to do this right in the middle of a road junction at night. Of course they have no lights as BMX bikes are not designed to have lights fitted.
Another trick is to stand the bike on just the front wheel and spin the entire bike and rider around the front wheel, scares the hell out of you as they take great delight in doing this in front of you as you drive up to them.
The police and the community officers just totally ignore them, but if a car hits one it is always the driver fault.

[China Doll]

I don't know about insured byt they should at least have some form of identifiable plates so that when they go through red lights for example, they can be reported. I have nearly been run over about seven times in the middle of central London, all by cyclists! Twice was a cyclist going the wrong way up a one way street, anotehr time was one who thought it was ok ot go between the road and pavement at full speed... I'm not sure about insurance, (don't even know how it could be done given those stupid pay as you go bikes in London), but definitely need some form way of identifying the knob-heads who are going to hurt someone, same way you would if someone on the road was driving wrecklessly.

[anotheoldgit]

ummmm

/// What about kids? ///

Now there is an idea, knowing how some kids of today act both on cycles or off, perhaps it would;d be a good idea for parents to take out insurance on them, so that victims of their vandalism could claim for damage caused to their property?

[ChuckFickens]

I actually agree with AOG, but I'm not as much of a tabloid sheep as him and realise that the vast majority of kids are not mindless vandals. so I'd suggest that parents should have liability insurance for their kids to cover accidents that can and do happen.

[anotheoldgit]

Regarding lights on bikes.

If the battery in one's rear light had happened to have failed, and in the days when we had policemen on the beat, one could not get very far from one's home before hearing the shrill of the policeman's whistle, he would then ride beside you, while you pushed your bike back home.

[THECORBYLOON]

Some facts,

Around 75% of fatal or serious cyclist accidents occur in urban areas

Around half of cyclist fatalities occur on rural roads

75% happen at, or near, a road junction

80% occur in daylight

80% of cyclist casualties are male

Almost one quarter of the cyclists killed or injured are children

Around three quarters of cyclists killed have major head injuries. In collisions involving a bicycle and another vehicle, the most common key contributory factor recorded by the police is 'failed to look properly' by either the driver or rider, especially at junctions.

'Failed to look properly' was attributed to the car driver in 57% of serious collisions and to the cyclist in 43% of serious collisions at junctions.

[Cordon52]

People have odd ideas about cyclists not being at fault.
I was walking on a narrow pavement in London and I did not realise there was a child cyclist behind me.
The cyclist tried to get past, hit me and then went into the road under a lorry and the accident was fatal.
It was a good the accident was recorded on camara as several people thought myself and the lorry driver was at fault.

[flip_flop]

If cyclists were made to buy compulsory RTA type insurance and were taxed, presumably nobody would mind cyclists taking up the middle of their side of the road?

[ummmm]

That's quite offensive AOG. My sons are not vandals.

EDDIE, he has a BMX with two brakes. My BMX also had two brakes.

I cycled everywhere and only had one accident. That was when a van driver opened his door and hit me.

[emmie]

I have been knocked into, spat and sword at by cyclists riding on the pavements, and going over red lights. It's so serious in our borough that there is a dedicated police traffic team who are out on the streets on bicycles, who catch cyclists on a regular basis. They are given the choice of a fine or a talk about road safety. I would see all cyclists insured, that includes children, why can't you have it as a family insurance. And police do give fines to those who transgress. I enjoyed cycling, and know the dangers full well, but nowadays they think it's their rights over others, particularly pedestrians on pavements. And whoever came up with those statistics doesn't know our borough, because it's usually women cyclists who are killed on our roads, not men.

[anotheoldgit]

ummmm

/// That's quite offensive AOG. My sons are not vandals. ///

Since I do not know your sons personally also the fact that I did not direct my suggestion at you directly, neither did I accuse your sons of vandalism, how can that possibly be 'offensive'.

Please note my all important words;

"some kids of today"

By criticizing some kids of today of vandalism, does not make the majority of kids of today vandals, or even specifically your sons.

So please before accusing me of being offensive, please take the time to read exactly what I actually said, thank you.

[ummmm]

You really have a bad view of youths.

They are nice kids, AOG. Don't let the minority cloud your judgement.

I'm extremely proud of my boys. Hard working, hoodie wearing, well mannered.

Don't label them.